SNARF ATTACK, UNDERFOODLE, AND THE SECRET OF LIFE

Amato offers an early chapter book sure to entice reluctant readers and leave them laughing. Wilbur and Orville Riot (get it?), fifth- and third-graders, respectively, are brothers and best friends. They teach their schoolmates to be annoying in order to make money to put in the bank so they can have an excuse to be there to catch a crook. They invent contraptions, make up games, and create their own adventures. In these three stories they catch a thief, overthrow a king, and find a treasure. The bonus section includes the rules to their games, like “The Naked Mole Rat Game,” as well as “important things to be able to do with your face.” Amato’s stories are good-natured fun; the boys are never cruel, though they can be a little gross. Their mother, the principal of their school, appreciates their energy and humor. Long’s illustrations are an excellent addition. Hope for sequels. (Fiction. 7- 9)